Pic of the compleated swap to point you in the right direction: Another method I used on one of my Prowls was to simply remove the tail lights. That way, the leg bends freely and you don't have to have legs with window shins if you prefer the designer's intended look. For alt mode, the light bits slip right back in (but remain loose unless you put the screws back). Just don't lose the screws and you're good.
Personally I don't like the upper-thigh swap since the joint on the upper thigh is way too high for my tastes. But if that floats your boat, then yeah; you can get more range doing that in addition.
Yeah, this mod looks pretty awesome. And it couldn't be simpler. It doesn't add much more poseability, to do that I think you'd have to cut in the plastic panel behind the knee. Some more pics cause it's cool
Yes, he does. Actually, this makes the transformation a little easier. No longer is hip rotation required.